Chapter 54 Insights and Fights - Cassis

  Cassis sat in a meditative pose, keeping Blazing Body active, feeling the constant drain of mana but keeping it steady and trying to balance it out by using his mana pattern with some success. The spell burned away the poison—pollen Arianna had called it—from reaching his skin and affecting him any further. He could even breath better since the fire cleansed the area in front of his nose and mouth. He watched Arianna out of the corner of his eye as she worked.

  He couldn’t see what she was doing exactly—his mana sight wasn’t well trained. Right now, he could only perceive his own elemental mana faintly pulsing around him. But even without seeing, he could feel the dense weave of mana she was manipulating, and more than that, he could see it in her face: the intense focus, the grimace, the stubborn set of her jaw.

  She was holding her breath far too long. Cassis tensed when he noticed her complexion turning pale and her hands starting to tremble. He was about to get up—damn the pollen, he'd carry her if needed—but before he could even move, Arianna suddenly inhaled deeply and... promptly fell to the ground.

  Panic stabbed at him—had she passed out too? His hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword.

  But then, sitting on the ground, she started grinning—and then giggling, muffled but unmistakable.

  Cassis exhaled hard, slumping slightly. She'd done it. He could even feel it: the air inside the barrier was cleaner, crisper somehow. The heavy drowsiness pressing down on him was lifting.

  He shook his head with a breathy chuckle.

  “She’s insane," he murmured under his breath, though warmth curled up in his chest. "My insane partner."

  Still, the whole incident made him think.

  He hadn't known the mesmerizing blossoms could affect even high-level awakeners like him and her. In the other timeline, he had rarely bothered with anything but the most straightforward path through dungeons. He always hunted the boss monster—the Frogman Chief, in this case—and got out quickly. Efficiency and survival had been everything, especially because killing the boss monster reset the timer for the dungeon break.

  When he hadn’t managed to kill the boss monster, he had gone for the gathering quests but only then. Gathering unknown plants or items was dangerous in itself but it was also annoying since he didn’t know what it looked like or where it was located. It was one of the most time consuming ways to clear a dungeon and the timer for dungeon break wouldn’t be reset. Those quests only allowed him to leave and get a small reward, usually extra exp.

  He’d been to Rezon a few times and almost every time he had killed the boss monster. It didn’t have to be the chief of the frogmen. It could also be the chief of the Walking Flowers, the Tigerapes, the Bald Macaws, or the Eternity Snakes.

  Only once did he clear a dungeon of Rezon through a gathering quest. He'd stumbled across the Healing Vine by accident after some unfortunate events had forced him to flee from some people. That’s when he had encountered those monsters as they were guarding the Healing Vine. He and Arianna had been scarred for life seeing them. Now that he thought about it, had she been an adult back then?

  Turning over the numbers in his head, he felt relieved. He’d only started entering dungeons around a year after the Bloody Weekend as the government hadn’t allowed awakeners in there until then. She would have been 18 at that time. That was still awfully young for what she had seen. As if he didn’t have enough already to feel guilty about.

  But he had never done the gathering quest for the mesmerizing blossoms. He’d only heard of them. Everyone had said they were annoying but safe. Cassis snorted under his breath.

  Safe? Right. If falling unconscious in the middle of a mana-dense, monster-filled jungle counted as safe, then sure. No wonder gathering the blossoms had a reputation of taking forever. If Arianna hadn’t been here with him—if they hadn’t been lucky enough for her to evolve her spell—this could’ve easily turned into a disaster.

  He let his body cool down a little and ended Blazing Body, conserving mana. His skin was hot and damp with sweat, but he could breathe freely again. He watched Arianna stretch and concentrate on her meditation for a bit, judging by her posture.

  But the weight of his earlier thoughts didn’t go away.

  He had knowledge of the future. Both he and Arianna did. But it was only the big stuff—the catastrophic events, the major players, the worst betrayals. And then some of his personal experiences. But not the tiny, creeping dangers. Not the small mistakes that could snowball into tragedy if they got careless.

  This... this had been a reminder.

  The apocalypse was still the apocalypse, even if they were stronger now. Strength wasn’t invincibility. They couldn’t afford to get arrogant. They had to be smarter, faster, better.

  He pushed himself up and went to check on Arianna properly.

  She grinned up at him, her face flushed with triumph.

  "I evolved the spell," she said, still a little breathless. "It's called Neutralize Poison now."

  Cassis chuckled, ruffling her hair.

  "Good job," he said, voice low and warm. Then more seriously: "We need to be more careful from now on."

  Arianna nodded firmly at him. She must have had similar thoughts. Then, without wasting time, she stood and went to their still-moaning, slumbering teammates. Cassis watched as she moved from person to person, casting healing spells. He couldn't tell whether she was using Heal or her newly evolved Neutralize Poison, but it seemed effective either way. Slowly, one by one, the others stirred awake.

  Groans echoed through the clearing. Liam, as soon as he realized what had happened, flushed with embarrassment.

  "I... I'm sorry," Liam mumbled, looking at the ground. "I had to be protected again."

  Before Cassis could say anything, Camden rubbed Liam’s back soothingly, trying to encourage him.

  "Don't be so hard on yourself. The rest of us also fell asleep."

  Cassis added, "The only reason Arianna and I stayed awake was because of our higher levels and certain spells. That's it. It’s not about strength or weakness."

  But his words seemed to backfire. Liam's shoulders slumped even more, and he didn't say anything else. Cassis exchanged a look with Camden—an unusual moment of silent agreement between them. Camden might annoy him, but at least he cared about Liam's well-being.

  Arianna quickly explained what had happened. She described the mesmerizing blossoms' pollen and how it had spread invisibly through the air.

  "There’s still some pollen outside the barrier," she added. "Stay inside and meditate to recover. I’ll clear the outside area."

  Before anyone could protest, she was already moving out. Cassis followed her, reigniting Blazing Body as a protective measure. The flame spell worked well against the pollen, burning it away before it could stick to him.

  While Arianna worked her magic in the surroundings, Cassis carefully collected the three mesmerizing blossoms he had defeated earlier and tucked them into his inventory. Only seven more to go. They’d have to be smarter about how they approached them, but he had no doubt they could do it. He remembered that the system awarded bonuses for completing all objectives in a dungeon. And for the future he wanted, they would need every advantage they could get.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  As Arianna concentrated, Cassis turned his attention to her again. He wanted to see what she was doing. Understand it, maybe even support her better.

  He recalled her earlier explanation—that there was a kind of barrier over his eyes, keeping him from seeing mana types other than his own. He focused, trying to push through it. Immediately, pressure built behind his eyes, throbbing painfully. His vision blurred at the edges; a headache already blooming. Still, he didn’t give up for some time. Only after he couldn’t stand the pressure anymore, did he stop.

  When he blinked and looked at her again, Arianna was watching him, her face bright with encouragement.

  "There was some mana movement around your eyes," she said softly, her voice cutting through the tension. "I think you're getting close."

  Cassis exhaled slowly, relieved by the confirmation even though his skull felt like it was about to split open.

  Arianna’s gaze shifted thoughtfully to his still-going spell.

  "You don’t need Blazing Body anymore, by the way. The pollen’s pretty much gone. But it’s very effective."

  He cut the spell, letting the flames wink out.

  Arianna was still thinking aloud, getting lost in her thoughts again, her fingers unconsciously weaving patterns in the air.

  "Maybe... I can use water mana on Neutralize Poison," she mused. "I’ve only tried it with neutral mana. It might react differently with water. I know in nature that rain reduces pollen in the air, but whether mana works the same way..."

  She trailed off, frowning slightly. Then she shook her head and smiled sheepishly at him.

  It was cute—how easily she got absorbed in mana theory, completely forgetting they were still in a dangerous situation.

  Cassis sighed and gently reminded her,

  "Don’t forget we’re still in a dungeon."

  Arianna startled, blinking rapidly. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she realized her lapse in awareness. Quickly, she lowered her water barrier, pulling her mana back into herself.

  Inside the former barrier, the rest of their party sat meditating, recovering their mana and calming their bodies.

  Curious, Cassis walked closer to Helen and asked,

  "What was it like... falling asleep like that? And why were you all moaning?"

  Helen grimaced, her expression darkening.

  "I didn’t even realize it was happening," she admitted. "One second I was standing, the next I was back... back in the past, reliving something I wish I could forget."

  The others nodded grimly. Even Camden looked haunted for a moment.

  Cassis’ stomach twisted. He had enough terrible memories of his own; he was glad he hadn’t been forced to relive it.

  His eyes drifted to Liam, who was sitting stiffly, his face a closed-off mask.

  Bullying, Cassis thought grimly. That was probably what he had to endure again.

  He glanced at Camden and found him already watching Liam with a similar look of concern. Despite everything between them, Cassis approved. Camden had gone through his own mental torture, yet he was more worried about his partner. The way it should be.

  The group reformed once more, setting off deeper into the jungle, the humid air clinging to them like a second skin. They followed the general direction they had guessed the frogmen's camp to be. Arianna had promised to keep a close watch for any pollen this time, her senses alert, her expression tight with focus.

  They hadn’t gotten far when the trees above rustled ominously. Without warning as somehow these monsters had managed to slip by his and Arianna’s Awareness, they were ambushed—this time by tigerapes.

  Cassis remembered these creatures but hadn’t know they would have the ability to circumvent his Awareness. The few times he had encountered them his Awareness hadn’t even ranked up yet from Basic, so all monster attacks had been surprises.

  He looked at them again: monstrous apes with the striped fur and sharp teeth of tigers, if tiger stripes were orange and dark red instead of black. They blended into their surroundings very well. So, Cassis assumed they had some kind of stealth ability.

  They moved with brutal speed, swinging effortlessly between the thick vines. As they roared, the sound vibrated through the trees, an unnatural, reverberating call that would attract even more monsters.

  There were seven visible at first, but Cassis knew more would come if they didn’t end this fast.

  Everyone sprang into action.

  Cassis focused, letting mana flow into his blade. A thin but deadly layer of fire wrapped around it—Fire Blade cast with minimal mana. Just enough heat to slice cleanly through flesh without setting the entire jungle ablaze.

  Combining it with Body Reinforcement, Dash, and even Blazing Body when needed, he felt the strongest he had since awakening again in this timeline. With a sudden surge of speed, he dashed up to the nearest tigerape, slashing deep across its side before it could react. The move was risky—trees and teammates were obstacles he had to constantly account for—but in a more open space, he could already imagine how devastating Dash could become.

  The excitement was heady, the rush of battle invigorating. Thanks to all the training Arianna had put him through, he had learned to absorb ambient mana even during brief moments of meditation. Despite the earlier pollen attack, he had reserves to burn due to their short rest period.

  Still, even amid the thrill of combat, he kept half his focus on the others.

  Helen was moving like the assassin she wanted to become, weaving between the swinging tigerapes. She gripped her bow loosely in one hand, a long knife in the other, sneaking behind enemies and striking them cleanly when they were vulnerable. Probably using a combination of Precision Hit and Critical Hit. It suited her—and Cassis suspected it wasn't her first time fighting like this, considering her past with the Shadows of Avaria.

  Nadine stood at a distance, loosing arrow after arrow. Her wind-element arrows curved sharply through the air, perfect for hitting moving targets even as she evaded attackers with nimble footwork. Her element was clearly suited for this chaotic, fast-paced battle.

  But the tigerapes' roars had drawn more enemies—frogmen, their slick skins gleaming, and even walking flowers whose petals hid razor-sharp leaves that would spread poison in their bloodstreams once injured.

  Cassis gritted his teeth.

  Focus on the tigerapes first. Otherwise, we'll drown in numbers.

  He caught a glimpse of Luke getting struck by a frogman's tongue, the impact throwing him back several meters. Tiny barbs along the tongue tore through his arm, leaving it bloodied and ragged. Poison would be spreading through him, too, no doubt. Yet Luke gritted his teeth, forced himself up, and stabbed at a tigerape that tried to pounce on him thinking he would be easy prey.

  Arianna, meanwhile, had just crushed a tigerape's skull with a brutal blow from her mace, shielding herself with her water shield against an attack from a walking flower. But when she saw Luke's injury, she dodged the next attack and sprinted to heal him, her hand glowing faintly.

  Nearby, Liam was locked in a brutal duel. He had cut the vine a tigerape was swinging from, forcing it to land close to him. Now, armed with only his sword and desperate determination, he fought it blow for blow. Each punch and claw swipe landed heavily—Liam's defensive set and body weren't strong enough yet—but he refused to back down, steadily carving away at the monster with sheer stubbornness.

  Cassis' heart clenched, instincts screaming at him to help. But he forced himself to stay back.

  He needs this, he reminded himself. Arianna was right. I can't protect everyone from their battles.

  He shot a glance at Camden, who was struggling with a frogman nearby while throwing worried looks at Liam. Camden wasn't strong, but at least he was trying to help in his own way. Cassis couldn't deny he respected that.

  Finally, after what felt like endless roars, crashes, and shouts, the last of the tigerapes fell.

  More monsters had joined in by then—frogmen and walking flowers—but now, with the tigerapes gone, the battle turned. Concentrated efforts pushed back the tide of enemies.

  Arianna was relentless, darting between allies to heal them the moment they showed signs of poisoning. Normally, she'd let small wounds heal naturally to conserve mana, but with so many enemies wielding venomous attacks, she clearly wasn't willing to risk it.

  After what seemed like an eternity of slashing, blocking, healing, and evading, the clearing finally fell silent.

  Bodies of monsters littered the ground, their blood staining the jungle floor.

  Nadine slumped against a tree, completely out of arrows. Helen too, her quiver empty, wiped blood and sweat from her forehead. Luke, Liam, and Camden leaned heavily on their weapons, their elemental blades flickering as their mana reserves ran low. They hadn’t yet managed to fine tune their mana control, but it wasn’t as necessary for them as for him in this environment. Liam had an earth affinity, Luke water and Camden wind so they weren’t in any danger of setting the jungle ablaze. Still, this meant that their mana reserves would be quite low.

  Even Arianna, ever steady, admitted she needed a short rest to replenish herself after so much mana spent healing. He knew she was running her pattern through her body even while fighting and was again in awe at how much healing she had done in this battle. Her titles, Mana Manipulation, situational awareness and mana pattern made for a powerful combination.

  Cassis, though he was better off, still felt the drain of battle. His mana had held out well since thanks to his improved meditation techniques he had been full before the fight, but he knew better than to push his limits.

  They moved carefully a little further away from the battlefield—just in case any other monsters were drawn to the stench of blood—and under one of the bigger trees.

  One by one, they sank into meditation, pulling ambient mana into themselves to recover.

  Cassis took a deep breath, letting the coolness of the mana soothe the aching parts of his body, feeling the slow, steady growth of his strength.

  He wasn't where he wanted to be yet—not by a long shot—but he could feel it: he was finally climbing back up. And this time he wouldn’t fail.